Explosion and Centre of Mass Simulation

When a shell explodes in mid-air, the forces that tear it apart are internal: they act in equal and opposite pairs between the fragments. So the total momentum of the fragments is the same just after the burst as just before, and the centre of mass carries on along the parabola the whole shell would have followed, as if nothing had happened.

This explosion simulation fires a shell that bursts at the top of its flight or whenever you press the button. Choose random fragments with a chosen energy release, or the classic JEE case where one half stops dead. Momentum arrows and the centre of mass are drawn throughout, and you can see the moment a fragment lands and the centre of mass leaves the parabola.